Electrical furnace



Dec. 22, 1925- A. GRAUEL ELECTRI CAL FURNACE Filed April 30, 1925 Inventor 4 III/ll 1/ 1/ I ////////Z/j/ I II [fl I] II I I II Patented Dec. 22, 1925 U NI TED; STATES a AT ENT OF F [C E ALLAN GRAUEL, OF KITCHENER, ONTAREO, CANADA, ASfiIGNOR OF ONE-TENTH TO WILLIAM JUNOR AND ONE-TENT}: TO "WALTER H. W'ARRINGTON, BOTH OF TO- RONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

ELECTRICAL FURNACE.

Applicationfiled April 30, 1923. Serial No. 635,626.

1 0 all to/ uma it/may concern:

Be it known that l, ALLAN GRAUEL, a sub ject of the King of Great Britain,- and resident of the city of Kitchener, county of lVaterloo, Provinceof Ontario, in the, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Furnaces, as described in. the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, that form part of the same.

The principal object of this invention is to produce an efficient electrically heated hot water or steam furnace which will produce and maintain the required ten'lperatures for a heavy circulation, thereby eliminating the disagreeable features incident to the present forms of heating, particularly in private houses where coal, oil and gas have objectionable features.

A further important object is to minimize the cost of the initial installation to provide the required heat, and further to reduce the cost of operation and maintenance.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the novel construction of furnace and arrangement of the electrodes, whereby an electric. current is directed through a bed of carbon particles within a closed compartment surrounded by a water jacket, the carbon bed producing an incandescent heat radiating body.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a furnace constructed according to this invention, the section being taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a horizontal plan section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Ordinarily in electric heating by the use of carbon electrodes, movement is imparted to the electrodes to sustain an are but according to the present invention the electrodes do not require movement.

In the form of the invention herein shown, the body of the furnace comprises an outer casing 1 and an inner casing 2, preferably cast in an integral structure, the inner casing being spaced uniformly from the outer casing around the circumference forming the annular water chamber 3. The inner casing is also spaced from the outer at the top and bottom and a central conduit t connects the bottom and top chambers 5 and 6 respectively.

Suitable door openings 7 are provided to giveaccess to the'interior of the casing 2 to enable the placing of the linings and the carbon bed and are not required to be opened in the use ofthe furnace, the inner heating compartment being substantially air tight.

An opening 8 is arranged in a suitable location in the sidewalls to provide for the entry of the electrodes Ewhich in the present illustration are three in number, being supported in the block 9 of insulating material placed in the opening .8.

The chamber 10 within the casing 12 is of annular form and is lined withsuitable insulating walls 11 which are joined by the web 12 at a point opposite the central electrode. This divides the chamber 10 into two parts each of which is divided by an insulating partition 13 extending from the insulator block 9 each side of the central electrode and the terminal end being spaced from the dividing web 12.

The space between the insulator walls is filled with particles of carbon and the current flows from the outer electrodes through the carbon bed each side of the dividing partitions 13 to the central or neutral electrode.

The electric current supplied to the electrodes flows through this carbon bed from electrode to electrode forming innumerable arcs and the temperature of the bed is raised to a state of incandescence and a very high heat is developed. The heat chamber being closed against the admission of air, there will be no oxidation of the carbon, consequently it will last for an indefinite period, subject of course to the condition of purity and nonfusibility of the material.

On account of the arrangement of the water space completely around the heat chamber the insulating lining which supports the carbon bed will be kept from fusing, the heat being absorbed by the water completely around the heat chamber.

It will be readily understood from this description that practically the entire heat units represented in the current flowing through the carbon bed will be transmitted into heat energy. There is no flue and no losses through radiation by direct contact except with the heat circulating medium at any point, therefore substantially 100% of the heat is taken from the furnace by the circulation medium.

The electrodes may be cooled in any suitable manner but are here shown provided with hollow collars 14 through which water is circulated by suitable pipe connections with the body of the heater.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An electrical furnace, comprising, a casing enclosing a water jacket and having a central closed heat chamber forming a part thereof, an electric insulation lining the bottom of said heat chamber, a bed of loose carbon particles arranged within the lined portion of said closed chamber, and electrodes inserted through the walls of said water jacket and insulated therefrom and forming of said carbon particles an incandescent heat radiating body directing heat rays directly to the inner surface of the water jacket.

2. An electric furnace, comprising, a casing enclosing a water jacket and formed with a central heat chamber having an insulating lining in the bottom, said casing having an opening extending through the water jacket to the central heat chamber,

an insulating block closing said opening,

electrodes supported in said block, and a bed of loose carbon particles within the inner chamber adapted to be brought into an incandescent state by the current flowing between said electrodes.

3. An electric furnace, comprising, an inner casing supported within an outer casing enclosing a water jacket completely surrounding and extending centrally through the same, a lining of insulating material covering the bottom of the inner casing and having sides forming an insulated channel, openings through the side Walls of the water jacket, insulators in said openings, electrodes supported in said insulators and extending into said channel, and a bed of carbon particles arranged in said channel.

4. An electric furnace, comprising, a closed heat chamber surrounded by a water jacket, a bed of carbon particles arranged within the closed chamber, electrodes extending into said closed chamber, and hollow collars encircling said electrodes and connected with the water circulating system.

ALLAN GRAUEL. 

